


Summons

by pat_t



Category: Highlander: The Series
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-16
Updated: 2012-06-16
Packaged: 2017-11-07 20:31:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/435136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pat_t/pseuds/pat_t
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ouija boards and spirits on Halloween.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Summons

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Highlander_Challenge_Co Halloween challenge.

“You are out of your mind!”

Duncan MacLeod looked up from where he was pouring wine into four fluted glasses at the kitchen island and grinned. It was Halloween and they had spent the evening with Mary at her day care’s annual trick-or-treat event. Normally Anne would have been the one to take her daughter, but this year she simply couldn't get away from the Emergency Room, and had begged Duncan and Methos to step in for her at the last minute.

Not that Duncan minded. He loved spending time with Mary and he had to admit they had a good time. He had always loved Halloween, but in the part of town where he now resided, there were no trick-or-treaters and he missed the trappings of the holiday. It simply wasn’t the same carving out Jack O’ Lanterns or putting up Halloween decorations when there were no children around to enjoy them. Of course, he mused, he might have to amend that thought as two of the world's oldest children were still glaring at each other in the next room.

They had taken Mary home and returned to the loft, only to find Joe and Amanda waiting on them when they arrived. Joe had opted out of the annual Halloween theme at the bar this year, stating it wasn’t worth the hassle since most of his customers had kids to tend to, or went to private parties instead. Duncan had suggested a get-together later that evening at the loft and Joe had readily accepted.

They hadn’t expected Amanda, but probably should have since she was no longer residing in Paris. So it wasn’t a complete surprise when they stepped into the lift and felt immortal presence. Amanda had made herself at home, to Methos’ consternation and Duncan’s amusement. She had already showered and changed into a ruby-red, silk pant suit, her makeup applied flawlessly, with her dark brown hair cut in a classy chin length bob.

She was beautiful, and while he would always find her desirable, it was the man across the room who owned his heart. The man who was becoming increasingly more agitated as their guest continued to prod.

“Come on, Methos. It’s an Ouija board. It'll be fun.”

“Amanda....” Methos let out a long suffering sigh and crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s stupid and childish. Don’t tell me you believe in this nonsense.”

“You’re just an old grouch, Methos. I don't know why Duncan puts up with you.”

Duncan picked up the tray with their wine and carried it into the living area. “He grows on you.” He offered a glass to Joe who was watching the by-play from the couch.

“He hasn’t grown on me yet,” Joe muttered deadpan.

“You’re not helping, Joe.” Duncan moved toward the center of the room and delivered the rest of the wine. Setting down the empty tray, he turned to his lover.

“What’s the big deal, Methos? It’s Halloween and it'll make Amanda happy.”

Methos turned to glare at him. “Read my lips, Mac. N.O."

Duncan pressed up against him and whispered in his ear. “For me?”

“Spoilsport,” Amanda grumbled under her breath.

A loud guffaw emanated from the vicinity of the couch.

“Fine!” Methos bit out the concession with a scowl, then walked across the room to drop down on the couch beside Joe.

Amanda squealed and threw her arms around Duncan’s neck. He hugged her back, amused when he saw Methos roll his eyes in response.

“Thank you,” he mouthed, relieved when he saw Methos shrug his shoulders and smile in acknowledgment. Sometimes it was hard to tell with his lover, but if Methos had been seriously irritated, Duncan would've intervened on his behalf. 

“It's about damn time. Now that it's been hashed out, what do we do?” Joe asked.

Amanda released Duncan and went over to the coffee table to pick up a shopping bag. She pulled out a large board and planchette. “Here. We need a place where we can sit next to each other and reach the board at the same time.” She looked around to consider the layout of the room.

“How about the kitchen island?” Duncan walked back into the kitchen and began clearing the space.

“That’s perfect. Come on everyone and I’ll explain everything.” She motioned to Joe and purposely ignored Methos, who made a face at her in return.

“Duncan, light some candles and turn off the lights, will you?”

“I’ll do it,” Methos said and rose to join them in the kitchen.

Once they were prepared, they each nabbed a chair and sat down, Duncan and Methos on one side of the island and Amanda and Joe facing them on the other. The candles flickered, filtering a soft light around the room, filling the dark corners with shadows that seemed to dance across the walls. Amanda placed the planchette on the board and bent forward to whisper.

“It’s almost midnight. This is perfect. There are all kinds of things you can ask the spirits, but--” Her speech was interrupted by an inelegant snort across the board. She looked up to glare and continued. “As I was saying, there are all kinds of things you can ask the spirits, but tonight, on all Hallow's Eve, I wanted to see if I can get a special spirit to visit us.”

“Special, how?” Duncan asked.

“I’ve heard it's possible to communicate with a loved one. I’d like to talk to Rebecca.” She looked up and met Duncan’s eyes. “Of course, each of you can try to make contact with someone of your own. I mean, it’s a very private thing. I have Rebecca’s crystal and I’ll be focusing my energy on her.”

“Do you really believe that, Amanda?” Methos asked her in disbelief.

“Can you honestly tell me you’ve lived as long as you have and haven’t seen things you can’t explain?” She lifted her chin defiantly.

“Of course, I have. But conjuring up spirits with an Ouija board? Come on, Amanda. Surely you don’t really believe that’s possible?”

“Yes, I do. And so would you if you’ve seen some of the things I have over the past millennia. But, if you don’t believe, maybe you _should_ skip this. I don’t want your negative vibes ruining it for the rest of us.”

“Oh no.” Methos laughed. “I wouldn’t miss this for anything now.”

“Fine.” She spread her hands out in surrender.

Duncan watched them for a moment, barely paying attention to their banter as he turned his thoughts inward. He didn’t really believe they could conjure up Rebecca or anyone else with an Ouija board, but what if he was wrong? He had certainly seen enough unexplained phenomena in his scant four hundred years -- he knew almost anything was possible. Hell, the fact that he still existed four hundred years after his death was proof enough that there were things in the universe no one could explain.

Pushing away from the kitchen island, he stood up, then went to his desk and picked up a small chest. Opening it carefully, he sifted through the pictures until he found the one he wanted. With gentle fingers, he took it out and returned to the kitchen to place it beside the Ouija board. He saw that Joe had placed a wallet sized picture beside his own place at the kitchen island.

Joe noticed his appraisal and picked up the picture. “Lauren. I know you didn’t get to meet her,” he said as he glanced from Duncan to Amanda, “but we'd been dating for awhile. I loved her, Mac. I was going to ask her to marry me.” He looked across the island at Methos. “She was murdered.”

Methos nodded in understanding and leaned forward. “Well, it’s almost midnight. Shouldn’t we get this little show on the road?”

“Do you have anyone you want to try to reach?” Duncan asked him cautiously.

“No. Duncan, even if I did believe in this, and I don’t--” He looked up to glare at Amanda. “I wouldn’t try to conjure up anyone from my past. Trust me on this.”

Duncan reached over and squeezed Methos’ hand. “That’s okay. I understand.” He turned back to Amanda. “Okay, so what do we do?”

“Well, first we all put our fingertips on the pointer. Like this.” She placed her fingertips on the planchette lightly and waited for the others to do the same. “Good. Now don’t press down or move the pointer. We want the spirits to do that. I’ll ask the questions and all you have to do is concentrate on the spirit you would like to talk to.” She looked up, satisfied when each of them nodded their understanding in turn.

She squared her shoulders and turned to Joe. "Everyone ready?"

“Yeah, sure.” Joe looked over at Duncan and smiled.

Duncan grinned back, and looked over at his partner who was trying his best to appear bored and disinterested.

Amanda closed her eyes and spoke into the room. “Here we are on All Hallow’s Eve. If there are any spirits present please let us know. Is there anyone here from the spirit world?”

They all watched in tense silence while she waited for a response. Nothing happened and Duncan breathed in deeply through his nose.

Amanda opened her eyes and peered into the shadowed room. “Is anyone here? We call upon a spirit guide to help us find our loved ones tonight. Are you here?”

Another tense moment and the planchette began to move slowly across the board toward the word ‘yes’.

“Yes!” Amanda hissed out excitedly.

“Manda, you moved the pointer,” Methos accused.

“Did not.”

“Did too.”

“Can we get on with this?” Joe admonished them both irritably.

Duncan winked at his Watcher and chuckled under his breath. If Amanda and Methos began sticking their tongues out at each other, he would have to separate them.

Amanda pretended to ignore them all and closed her eyes once again. “Who are you? Can you tell us your name?”

They waited with bated breath for long moments until the pointer eased over to the word ‘no.’

“Why can’t you? We need to know who you are.”

Slowly, the planchette began to move again, and a tightness began to curl in Duncan’s gut as it stopped in front of each letter.

D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S. Joe repeated the letters out loud as the pointer glided across the board.

Duncan looked at Amanda sharply. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Shhh.” Amanda placed a finger across her lips to order silence. “Why is it dangerous? We need to know who is here. Are you Rebecca?”

The pointer slid across the board to the word ‘no’.

They looked up into each other's eyes and silently acknowledged the answer. The candlelight was casting eerie patterns across Amanda’s face as she closed her eyes and concentrated on her next question. Duncan felt a chill creep up his spine and he shivered in spite of himself. Beside him, he felt Methos shift on his stool and he turned to see his lover’s face.

Methos shrugged and reached out to take Duncan’s free hand with his own.

“Are you Lauren?”

Joe visibly tensed, and they waited until the planchette glided across the board once again to point to the word ‘no’.

Amanda looked at Duncan and he nodded his head, giving her permission to continue.

“Tessa? Are you here Tessa Noel? Please tell us if you are here.”

They waited, anticipation thick and heavy in their chests while the air around them crackled with expectation. A few long minutes passed while they stared at the pointer, their fingertips lightly touching the polished wood as they waited for it to move. Nothing happened.

Amanda huffed out a breath, appearing both irritated and relieved as she sat back in her chair, for the first time breaking contact with the board. The others followed her lead and lifted their hands.

A few more minutes passed and Duncan pushed up from his stool. “I’ll get the lights.”

He turned, then froze in his tracks. He had no sooner voiced his intentions when a cold breeze floated across the room and extinguished most of the candles, leaving them in almost total darkness. The planchette seemed to take on a life of its own as it began to move across the board without anyone touching it. One by one, it stopped at a letter, then shot off the board to land with a thud on the floor.

“S-t-o-p. Stop!” Joe looked at the board with wide eyes, voicing the message as it was chillingly relayed.

“Duncan?” He registered the fear in Amanda’s voice at the same time he heard both Methos and Joe call out his name in concern.

There was an eeriness surrounding him that he could not name, an oppressive weight that permeated the room. He vaguely acknowledged the smell of ozone in the air, along with the chill that clung to his skin, leaving him feeling nauseated and drenched with sweat.

He forced himself to move until he reached the wall and flicked on the light switch. Turning toward the kitchen island, he regarded his lover and his friends, noting the pallor that marked their skin, and the thin sheen of perspiration on their faces that told him they had felt it too.

“Okay.” Methos stood up and stepped away from the kitchen island. “I think that’s as much fun as I can stand for one evening. How about we call it a night?”

Joe was struggling to stand and Duncan waited, just within arm's reach in case he was needed. Once upright, Joe turned to address him. “I’m with Methos. It’s been fun, but I think it’s time to call it a night.” He turned to Amanda. “Can I give you a lift to your hotel?”

She scooped up the board and planchette and reached for her bag. “Sure, that sounds like a great idea.”

Her voice was shaky, and Duncan watched her with concern as she gathered her things and went into the bathroom to change.

“Don’t worry, Mac. I’ll make sure she gets to her room safely.” Joe seemed to read his mind and Duncan turned to give his Watcher a reassuring smile.

“Thanks, Joe. Are you alright?”

Joe rubbed at his beard tiredly. “Yeah, yeah. Just dandy.”

It wasn’t long before their guests departed, leaving Duncan and Methos alone. Neither of them had spoken about the events with the Ouija board, and Duncan debated bringing up the subject since Methos had been so set against the game to begin with. Game? He scoffed. Could it be possible that Methos knew something like this might happen? Was that why he was so against it? No. Methos would have warned them, told them they were playing with something they knew nothing about. Even if the three of them were safe, Methos would never risk any harm coming to Joe.

Satisfied, he began clearing the glasses to take to the sink for cleanup in the morning. Stepping into the bedroom, he bent over to pick up Methos’ shirt which had been dropped to the floor on his way to the shower. Duncan smiled affectionately, knowing his lover would never change and suspecting many of his most irritating habits were done on purpose anyway.

He was about to toss the shirt in the laundry hamper when he noticed something sticking out from the pocket. He reached in and pulled out a small wallet sized picture of Alexa. Looking toward the bathroom, he smiled and shook his head in wonder.

"You old fraud," he thought with fondness. Methos hadn’t known after all. It had all been an act -- his irritation with Amanda and his assertions that the Ouija board wouldn’t work. He carefully placed the picture back in the pocket and dropped the shirt on the floor. He would leave his lover his secrets. With a grin, he shucked off his own clothing and stepped into the bathroom.

Later, they lay together in their king-sized bed, their bodies cuddled together in sleep. A fine white mist blew across the room and hovered over the bed. Duncan woke to the feel of a soft caress on his cheek, and opened his eyes as the last vestige dissipated into thin air.

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Edited Jan 8, 2017


End file.
